KREMLIN: The Kremlin has reacted to Ukraine’s threats to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying Moscow is aware of dangers coming from the “Kiev regime,” and has ramped up measures to ensure the security of the Russian leader.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made remarks after a recent assassination threat that had been voiced by Kirill Budanov, the head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), against the Russian president.
“All the threats coming from the Kiev regime are obvious. Therefore, the security of the president is established at the proper level,” Peskov told Russian media outlet Life on Saturday.
Budanov, who is on Moscow’s terrorist and extremist list over his activities, revealed Kiev’s efforts to kill Putin in an interview with Ukrainian news outlet NV published earlier in the day.
His service has made several attempts to assassinate the Russian president, he claimed, without providing any further information.
“[The attempts to assassinate Putin] took place, but, as you can see, they were unsuccessful thus far,” Budanov said.
Ukrainian and Western officials have for years been propagating rumors about the Russian head of state’s health condition.
The rumors intensified after February 24, 2022, when Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine, with the stories having mainly been sourced from Ukrainian intelligence officials.
Several Western media outlets have also reported attempts on Putin’s life, which have been attributed to Kiev, amid the protracted conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
In September 2022, British tabloid The Sun reported an explosion near the Russian president’s motorcade, while, in early 2023, several German media outlets claimed the president was unsuccessfully attacked by a drone. The Kremlin dismissed such reports at the time as empty sensationalism with nothing behind it.
Agencies

Agencies